By the Moonlight
by IlluminatedShadow
Summary: Once you die, you're forever dead and ghosts don't exist...right? If such is the case, then why is he standing in the moonlight? SasuNaru


Sweet! I can finally post stuff again! -victory dance-

Anyways, this piece of fanfiction is going to be multi-part but not too long. Oh, and in case anyone cared to know I was inspired to write this after listening to "Diary of Jane" by Breaking Benjamin...repeatedly. I like that song and this idea wouldn't leave me alone. Hope this fic turns out decent.

Yes, it is slow-moving at first with a lack of dialogue, I understand that and it was on purpose.

"speech"

_'thoughts'_

_/"Scene or quote flashback"/_

Warnings: AU, character death, character coming back as a ghost, angst (I really should look that up to make sure I'm using that word correctly...), OOC-ness

Pairing: SasuNaru

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Fans everywhere are grateful that I don't.

Sorry, one last thing. HHNFL2LS will be updated as soon as I can. I'm going out of town this week, so I'm not sure when it'll be updated.

* * *

All movement in the hall stilled as the tall oak doors opposite of the funeral casket creaked open. Whispered condolences and words of comfort were silenced as a tall man with short dark hair that naturally spiked in the back stepped into the large hall. Mourners with tear-stained faces and reddened eyes locked onto the man; several glared hatefully while others merely shook their heads and turned away.

A woman with blonde hair tied back in pigtails and dressed in a midnight black dress and shawl who was walking back from the open casket, looked at the visitor. "You." She hissed with malice. Puffy eyes glared at the dark-haired man with fury and contempt. "Now you show up, how dare-" Her words were cut off by a large hand on her shoulder.

"Not now, Tsunade." A white-haired man with red streaks down his eyes pulled her gently into the pews. "Please." Jiraiya whispered wrapping an arm around the angry woman's shoulder. The plea from her old friend calmed Tsunade slightly, but her honey brown eyes continued to glare at the dark-haired man's back as he walked down the aisle, and closer to the casket.

As he walked, the man's ebony eyes glanced at the black-clad men and women and children. Two men caught his eye. His old high school advisor and History teacher stood together. He caught the eye of his silver-haired advisor. Kakashi only nodded, expression unknown because of his black mask. One hand was rubbing comforting circles on Iruka's back as the younger man's eyes stayed locked on the mahogany casket. "Naruto…" the teacher whispered; tears began to slowly trickle down his cheeks.

The dark-haired man felt as though a dagger had just been stabbed into his heart when he heard the name.

The man was now at the casket, which was behind the small blockade of people. He recognized them from high school. They had all been apart of the same group. For four years they had stood by each other, through parties and exams. Each year they met for a reunion, or at least they still did five years ago. Perhaps they continued even while he was gone.

Eleven pairs of eyes looked at him with a range of emotions. The pale violet eyes, rimmed red, of the pretty Hyuuga heiress looked away first and the girl buried her face into the neck of her boyfriend. Shino pulled the girl closer and looked away from the man as well, dark sunglasses hiding his narrowed eyes.

Kiba glared at the man with red-rimmed eyes. He looked like he wanted to yell at the man but he jerkily turned away and scratched the ears of his dog. Even Akamaru sat dejected and silent.

With watery eyes, Ino shot him a disgusted look and began to walk back to her seat in the pews, after glancing at the open casket one more time. Her childhood friends, Chouji and Shikamaru, walked past the dark-haired man, ignoring him, and followed their slender, blue-eyed blonde friend…now their only blue-eyed blonde friend.

The dark-haired man turned back to the casket, but his journey was stopped by a strong grip on his elbow. He turned to face the person who stopped him and felt a harsh hand strike his face. Only a few people glanced over when the sound of the slap echoed in the hall.

One pale hand rose and covered the red, stinging mark on his cheek. _'I deserved that. He asked...and I should have came.'_

Obsidian eyes lowered and then flinched away as angry emerald eyes, shining with tears, locked onto his face. Instead, he fixed his eyes on the large organ in the corner of the room.

_/ 'It's just like the one in the Phantom of the Opera, isn't it, bastard/_

"Now you're here. Now you have time for him. Now you have time for him…but **he's **out of time." Sakura hissed. The man could imagine the fury in her green eyes.

"Sakura, not here, please." Lee's soft voice cut off any further words. The plea was just like that of Jiraiya's. As Lee led his pink-haired wife away, the dark-haired man whispered.

"I'm so sorry."

"Your apology is worthless now, Uchiha." Sasuke looked away from the organ and he glanced down at face so similar to his. Sai stared back, despite his attempt to keep an emotionless face, his eyes were filled with rage. "You were his most precious friend. He needed you, your **best friend** needed you, and you weren't here."

Sasuke, whose mind had been carefully kept blank, was suddenly bombarded. Memories of daily mock-fights and images of a smiling, loyal blond filled his mind. Sai's words stung as did Sakura's. The grip Sasuke had felt on his heart for the past two days tightened and Sasuke looked away ashamed.

'_As he should be, denying a dying man his last request.'_ Sai thought as he moved out of Sasuke's path.

Sasuke finally stepped up to the casket and willed himself to look down. The body of his closet friend lay still. Reality hit Sasuke. Naruto, the most cheerful, surprising, strong, energetic of everyone was still.

His friend was dead.

Naruto's eyes were closed, but Sasuke could almost see those mischievous eyes challenging him. The whiskered cheeks were pale and missing their healthy hue. Blond hair fell on and around Naruto's head, standing out against the dark red velvet lining. The blond was dressed in pure white and his hands lay against his stomach.

Naruto looked innocent and peaceful.

"I'm sorry Naruto. Please…please come back to me." Sasuke whispered to the still body, reaching out as if to lightly touch the smaller male's hand. Sasuke knew he wouldn't recieve a response. Once one dies, they die. And once you're dead, you can't talk. Sasuke knew this.

'_But, I wouldn't mind being proven wrong.'_ He thought as a tear slid down his pale cheek as cold white eyes watched him lean down and grip the sides of the wooden casket. "Naruto." He whispered as the tear fell onto the velvet and was followed by another, and then another.

'_I wish this was just another joke of yours, dead-last.'_

But, alas, reality is a bitch.

----------------------------After the Burial and Funeral-------------------------

Sasuke knelt quietly in front of the light grey gravestone. The dirt was still fresh from the burial and he would get his trousers dirty, but Sasuke could care less.

A slender, pale finger traced the engraving on the stone.

Naruto Uzumaki

Like a fire, you lit our lives and shared your warmth.

You will live forever.

Sasuke's eyes were dry. He hadn't cried since yesterday. He had sat and stared at the walls of his old home. His home was cold.

He was cold. And he had realized something important.

"I love you, Naruto. I was a fool not to realize it earlier."

"You probably did realize it, but ignored your feelings in favor of something else." Sasuke's shoulders stiffened and his finger stilled. He placed his entire palm against the stone. It was unforgiving and cold.

Neji Hyuuga gracefully knelt next to Sasuke and his eyes softened as they fell upon the gravestone.

"He kept asking for you in his last days."

"I know. Sakura called." Neji felt rage rise in him at the response, but one glance at Sasuke's pained black eyes stopped him from striking the other man. But, Neji was still angry.

"And you didn't come."

The phone conversation came back to him, stilling the constant slideshow of memories of Naruto.

_/ "Please, Sasuke. He's begging for you!" Sakura pleaded. Guilt filled Sasuke. Naruto was lying injured because of a tiger attack at his job at the Konoha Animal Preserve._

_Naruto loved animals. And he was in critical condition because one of them._

"_Tell him I have a lead on Itachi and I can't make it now. And tell dead-last to be a little more careful." Came the careless reply followed by Sasuke hanging up the phone. The guilt increased and Sasuke gripped the folder in his hand a little tighter. _

"_Idiot, trying to protect a stupid kid who climbed into the wild tiger's pen." The tiger had just been brought in from the wild, and Naruto was trying to preform a medical check, until a kid tried to get a closer look._

_Naruto had gotten the kid out without the kid getting hurt. Unfortunately, Naruto was shielding the boy with his own body._

"_Idiot." Sasuke said again, ignoring the guilt and sense of foreboding he felt. /_

Two days later, Itachi Uchiha had been caught outside a warehouse his gang, the Akatsuki, was meeting in. Detective Sasuke Uchiha was praised for catching the wanted killer.

On the same day Itachi was arrested, Naruto died from internal injuries. Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't know at the time.

_/ "Sakura, may I speak to Naruto?" Sasuke asked politely, all too aware of the strange feeling in his stomach. There was silence at the other end and _Sasuke_ began to feel even more nervous._

"_Sakura…"_

"_You can't speak to the dead, Sasuke. The funeral is in two days. Be there or not. After all, you can make your own decisions. You always do." Sakura's normally confident voice was soft, but her words stung._

_Sasuke nearly dropped the phone. "You're joking, aren't you!?" he shouted, but she had already hung up. /_

Ever since then, Sasuke had been in a daze. He arrived back in Konoha, and visited the casket. From that point forward, he had suffered sleepless nights. He relieved each memory he had of Naruto, and if he did catch a few minutes of sleep, Sasuke dreamt of his dear friend. He dreamt of his friend's laughter and that obnoxious smile. His dreams were just like his memories, except the dreams that left him awake hard and disgusted with himself.

After all, dreaming of kissing, holding, and touching your **dead best friend** wasn't right.

But, then again, wasn't the definition of what's right, relative?

Even so, Sasuke could not help but shiver with disgust after waking from dreams of a blue-eyed male writhing and moaning under him. Especially, as it was mentioned before, the said male was no longer alive.

Sasuke vaguely registered Neji speaking to him. "Huh?"

Neji scowled. "I said Naruto wanted you to have this." The white-eyed man pushed a leather-bound book into Sasuke's hands. The smooth brown leather had no title and Sasuke looked over at the older man. "It was his diary. He left it to you in his will, as well as this." Neji handed a small, tarnished silver picture frame. It held a picture Sasuke remembered being taken. It was during their final summer together before college. He was getting ready to become a detective to hunt down Itachi and Naruto would be getting a degree in biology and zoology.

The boys had just been lounging beneath a tall oak during the hot summer afternoon. Sakura had snuck up on the two of them and snapped the picture of them in their lethargic state. The picture showed both boys lazily smiling at each other in the shade of the tree.

Neji watched as Sasuke studied the picture and he began to stand up. "He loved you, too."

Sasuke tightened his hold on the picture frame and diary closer to him.

----------------------That Night-----------------------

Sasuke quietly entered his bed room and placed the leather diary on his desk and the small picture frame next to his computer. Night had fallen and silver moonlight illuminated the frame and diary.

Without turning the lights on, Sasuke walked into the bathroom and started the shower. As he showered, he was unaware that a figure was beginning to materialize in his bedroom. The moonlight illuminated the specter's face and whisker marks were visible. Ocean colored eyes watched the bathroom door for any signs of opening and as the door opened, and a toned man stepped out of the steam with a blue towel wrapped around his waist, the specter grinned.

Sasuke felt his hand drop from the door knob as he stared at the sight in front of him. Blue eyes peeked out from golden bangs and an obnoxious smirk adorned the face.

The moonlight made Naruto look ethereal.

Sasuke's breath hitched as he stepped closer to the specter. He reached out as if to touch its cheek, but stopped before his hand could reach its destination.

He shivered as he felt the combined cold of the water dripping down from his hair and the cold of the room.

"Hey, Sasuke."

* * *

So...how was it? Like it, love it, hate it?

Wanna smack me for killing Naruto and making Sasuke love him and fantasize about it?

Sasuke: Why always me? First you make Naruto choose Neji over me, then choose Hinata over me, and now you killed Naruto and know you make me sound like a pervert. And I'm OOC. You bitch.

Sorry! -crawls under rock to die-


End file.
